


Legitimate Businessmen

by floralNINJAchan



Category: RWBY
Genre: Pre-Canon, did this for a challenge on RWBY amino and thought I would share with you lovelies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2017-03-09
Packaged: 2018-10-01 12:55:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,261
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10190336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/floralNINJAchan/pseuds/floralNINJAchan
Summary: It's short and I thought is was fun lol.Let me know if you want me to write more random character interactions like this in the comments below.Thanks for reading and hope you liked it.Your Floralist of Ninjas,Reba The MermaidP.S. if these two don't already have a ship name I nominate Legitimate Businessmen lol. It's so classy~





	

What defines a "legitimate" businessman? Sure you can say it's someone who "conforms to the law or to the rules", but who gets to make the rules? Idiots, politicians, other forms of "authority"? Possibly. Or maybe the rules were made by the ones who knew how to play the game. That's how they win; they cheat.

And this was something Roman Torchwick knew as a universal truth. Whenever he would get annoyed at the humanitarians spewing their flowery words on the news, he would think back to when that corporate "do-gooder" was drunk off their ass at a gala. Whenever they would urge others to donate and support a cause, he would recall the millions of lien and multiple estates that they seem to forget they have. It was all about looking good and the whole "do as I say, not as I do" holier-than-art-thou shtick. 

And then he would think of Jacques Schnee. Thinking of that guy would always put a twisted grin on Roman's face. He'd had the "pleasure" of meeting one of the old shyster's daughters. However, there was one time he'd actually met the man, but that was almost a lifetime ago. 

\---

Back-in-the-day, Roman Torchwick was not a name you'd see plastered up on every scroll or even a blip on the news. He was young and nowhere near the criminal he'd soon be known to be. He was a punk who knew a gal or two that needed a plus-one to an event or party. Charming enough to swoon a lady twice his age, only to disappear in the midst of the festivities with his pockets filled with lien and jewels, and his stomach full of free champagne and hors d'oeuvre. It was the life. But his most extravagant, and last, party "crash" was in Atlas. The wife of a stockholder in the Schnee Corporation was lacking a companion due to her husband's boring obsession with keeping food on the table, and not making the public appearances in all the important social circles. 

The party was flashy as hell. White and silver was everywhere; white wine, silver plates, white gold coated table decor. Roman had wished he'd worn a dinner coat with more pockets sewn in. Not even ten minutes into the party and he had enough on him to fund his first "real" job, and with a little extra on the side to buy a box of high-end cigars. However, he didn't want to call it a night that early on. There was still food to eat, and high-class rubes to mooch off of, starting with a little side room he noticed a few gentlemen slip away to...

While daddy-dearest distracted his guests with his younger daughter's singing, Jacques and a few of his business buddies slinked away to an innocent game of cards (with a little unofficial business talk on the side). Roman was lucky to have slipped himself into the group when he had; the doors of the small room closing from behind by a brawny looking guard.

The room wasn't claustrophobia inducing, but it was smaller than other secret "friendly card game" rooms Roman had sidestepped his way into. He figured the Schnees could afford a larger area for their under-the-table business. In the center was a poker table, and in the center of that was more lien than Roman could swipe in a life time. The young criminal couldn't help but scoff at the sight. He regretted all the silver silverware in his pockets weighing him down, while there was light and easy to grab lien right in front of his very eyes.

Sitting at the table were a few guys he recognized from the news; a partner to the Schnee corporation, a couple 1% trust fund babies, and the man of the hour himself; Jacques Schnee, in all his bushy mustached glory. Roman leaned up against the wall next to some other gentleman as he watched the dealer pass out cards. However, it wasn't until the betting got into the hundreds of thousands of lien that the real game had begun.

"So Jacques," one of the trust fund babies spoke up as he made a raise. "Ever consider branching out your mining to Vale? There's a small dust company I've been investing in that has real promise. Maybe even a partnership or a sister company if you're-"

Jacques held up up unoccupied hand and the man silenced. "If you're talking about Emporium de Poussière, I'm sorry old friend, but I bought them out this morning," he chuckled as he called and made his own raise. The two other gentlemen folded their hands; leaving only Jacques and the now-in-shock businessman. The dealer asked them to show their cards, which revealed a clear victor. 

"Four of a kind," the man said.

"Royal flush," Jacques stated as the lien was pushed his way.

"Unfair! The house always wins..." The man sulked as he watched his money being counted by his companion.

"In business and in card," Jacques chuckled. "Fine, fine. If you're that bitter about it... you, boy!" He called out to Roman who was a little surprised he'd been noticed. "Do you know anything about cards?"

Roman looked from side to side with a faux surprised expression, until he pointed to himself. "W-who? Me, sir?" his voice quivered slightly for effect. "Well... I've dabbled."

"Perfect! Come here and deal out a hand. Show this nonbeliever that it's all just the Gelé (and Schnee) Family luck!" He laughed as Roman took over and began dealing out a fresh hand.

However, he was going to help foil that plan by doing his damnedest to cheat. One of the other businessmen was even getting four aces. Another got two pairs; queens and kings. He left Jacques with a pair of twos. But that didn't stop the man from betting a good half a million lien on a bluff. And it worked too... 

They did this for three more hands until the lot was tired of gambling away their money to the Schnee Dust Company CEO. They weren't low on funds, just low on self esteem from the brutal loosing streak. It wasn't all bad for Roman, however. He got a good 500 lien and a pat in the back.

As well as he learned a good lesson;

It takes guts to get what you want.  
It takes a good poker face.  
And there was a lot of promise in the dust business.

He left that party with over ten thousand lien in silverware in his pockets, enough alcohol in his system to think up something almost ingenious, and a stolen deck of cards. After Roman sobered up, he made a few calls, set a few deals, and got to work.

He decided to make a lovely habit of continuing to steal from good ol' Jacques (nee Gelé) Schnee. It was going to be a hell of a fun time. Roman only wished he could see that old man's smug expression melt into a face only an insanity drunk mother could love. 

In a way, he was no better or worse than the man he would steal from. They were just doing what it took to survive. After all, they were both just legitimate businessmen in this crazy world. If you can't profit off of a likeminded individual's misfortune, then who can you rob blind? Jacques would just have to find better ways of keeping the precious business he married into safe, while Roman would have fun giving the old man a run for his money.

**Author's Note:**

> It's short and I thought is was fun lol.
> 
> Let me know if you want me to write more random character interactions like this in the comments below.
> 
> Thanks for reading and hope you liked it.
> 
> Your Floralist of Ninjas,  
> Reba The Mermaid
> 
> P.S. if these two don't already have a ship name I nominate Legitimate Businessmen lol. It's so classy~


End file.
